So the Pyro-themed content isn’t here yet. And the annual Halloween update isn’t here yet either. But Valve are working on matchmaking still, as well as MvM, and who knows what else. Here’s the rundown:

(1) Halloween Event Maps: You can now call a temporary truce during a fight with Monoculus or Merasmus

Community maps now have a ConVar to force a truce whenever any Halloween boss fight begins

(2) The Golden Joystick Awards now features a $1 game sale for anyone who votes

There’s a chance that you can opt-in to a survey after you complete a Casual match or a Comp match

See the full patch notes for more information. Expect the next annual Halloween Event to launch sometime next week!

1. What’s This About a Truce…?!

Remember when you played a Halloween Event map, and some big boss monster spawns… yet when your team turns to focus the boss, the other team kills you with your back turned?

Valve has released a way for community maps to enable, or even force, a truce between RED and BLU while there’s a boss monster roaming the map. I assume players will use the votemenu on Valve maps, but community maps now have the options to require the truce if they wish to implement it.

Head admin |N| Octo informed me today that Halloween Event maps on TF2Newbs servers will force a truce during these boss fights. If you want a TF2Newbs Halloween Event map to not have the forced truce setting, please let us know in the forums.

Hey, do you need a guide about the various TF2 Halloween Event maps? Here you go!

The $1 “Golden Joystick Awards” Game Bundle

The Golden Joystick Awards is in its 34th year, handing out awards based on democratically driven voting for beloved video games. To spur voting, this year they have partnered with online digital game distributor Green Man Gaming to offering a deal: After you submit your vote, you are taken to a page where you can buy digital copies of three games for just $1 (or 1 euro, or 1 pound). That’s $1 total for all three games, and you can choose whether to purchase Steam keys or another online platform (such as PS4 or Origin). The games are:

*The Spec Ops game requires a Green Man Gaming account (free), but it seems to be possible to earn back the money you spent on the package as well. So until the most important election in the world this November–the Saxxy Awards–you can practice your voting skills for the GJA.

**Doing my due research, the random game may not necessarily be a Steam key. It could be Origin, gog, etc. depending on the random game received. Could be literally any game, even one you already own.

The awards voting, as well as the $1 bundle, are available through Halloween, October 31st.

Full Patch Notes: Oct 12, 2016

Players will now be randomly selected to participate in a survey at the end of Casual and Competitive matches

Ongoing improvements to the matchmaking backend to improve match quality and reduce wait times

News Bits

The Gun Mettle Campaign Pass has been removed from the Mann Co. Store. The Gun Mettle Season ends September 30th.

Have you read TF2 Comics #5 yet? Published on Aug 31, it follows Miss Pauling as she continues to recruit the nine mercenaries, following the orders of the Administrator in its typical nonsensical fashion.

With the rise of the Steam Market to facilitate currency trading, perhaps fewer users bother to trade for buds, although plenty of users still desire the accessory. Be aware of this, if you’ve have a standing sell price for an unusual valued in buds.

With each patch, the price will spike into the $2.90 ranged on the Market, then slowly fall back toward $2.50 once more. Users without Steam Funds generally trading with a key plus some metal. Also, Powerhouse cases are trading for about $0.15, and Concealed Killer cases for $0.06.

As I observed before: Factory New is worth five to ten times as much as other grades, and is what collectors are keeping.

Since Gun Mettle ends September 30th, these weapons will be Limited and no longer obtainable afterward. It is not known whether the cases can be opened, or if the weapons can still Traded Up afterward. Trade Ups have removed a lot of weapons from the Market; few Grade 5 or Grade 6 weps are even for sale on the Market.

By the way, have you played the beta maps Asteroid or Cactus Canyon lately? They’re really coming along, and much more fun than when they were first launched. Today’s patch doesn’t change their terrain at all, but does add a few wrinkles to the play style for Asteroid.